Italy
Italy, known as the "Land of Wine," is celebrated for its exquisite range of fine wines. With a winemaking history dating back thousands of years and a diverse array of terroirs, Italy offers a remarkable collection of wines that delight the senses and captivate wine enthusiasts worldwide.
In Tuscany, famous vineyards like Antinori, Marchesi di Frescobaldi, and Tenuta San Guido have become synonymous with excellence. Wines such as Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and Super Tuscans like Sassicaia and Tignanello showcase the region's mastery in crafting complex, age-worthy, and expressive wines. Piedmont is home to legendary vineyards like Gaja, Vietti, and Marchesi di Barolo. The region's iconic wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, crafted from the Nebbiolo grape, epitomize power, elegance, and longevity. These wines boast flavors of red fruit, floral notes, earthy undertones, and firm tannins. Veneto, renowned for its sparkling Prosecco wines, is also famous for Amarone della Valpolicella. Vineyards like Allegrini and Quintarelli produce exceptional Amarone wines with concentrated flavors of dark fruit, spices, and a velvety texture. Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, offers a different yet captivating expression of Italian wines. Vineyards like Planeta, Donnafugata, and Tasca d'Almerita craft remarkable wines from indigenous grape varieties such as Nero d'Avola and Nerello Mascalese. These wines exhibit intense fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, and a unique volcanic minerality.
These are just a few examples of the renowned vineyards and wines Italy has to offer. From the northern regions of Piedmont and Veneto to the central regions of Tuscany and Umbria, and down to the southern regions of Sicily and Puglia, Italy's wine regions are a treasure trove of exceptional wines. Experience the allure of Italian wines and immerse yourself in the rich history, diverse terroirs, and passionate winemaking that define the Italian wine scene. Whether you're sipping a prestigious Barolo, a refined Brunello di Montalcino, a refreshing Prosecco, or a bold Nero d'Avola, Italian wines promise a journey of flavors and a celebration of Italy's winemaking heritage.
Italy
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Tuscany | 9 | 93 (JD) | $155.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (93)The 2023 Le Volte Dell'Ornellaia is a saturated red/ruby color and is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, raised in used barrels for around 10 months. Always a wine leaning into the fruity and approachable side of things, the nose is fruity and fresh with aromas of candied flowers, crushed raspberries, red apples, and fresh stony earth. Medium to full-bodied, it’s very elegant with a joyful ease. It’s a great snapshot into these wines, which are mighty tasty now and have a lot of character. Drink 2025-2035. |
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Piedmont | 11 | 98 (VN) | $2,305.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)The 2004 Barbaresco Rabajà is a total head-turner. In this tasting, its only competition is the Asili Red Label. Even so, the Rabajà is an absolutely captivating, vivid wine from the first taste. Vertical and imposing in its sense of structure, with explosive energy to back things up, the Rabajà simply has it all. Scents of lavender, exotic spices and dark fruit add to the wine's total allure and seductive power. |
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Tuscany | 4 | 98 (JD) | $1,685.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva pours a deeper red color, while the nose reveals aromas of strawberries, anise spice, and roses, along with incense. Medium-bodied, refreshing, and mouthwatering, with a refined feel, it displays a ripe citrus-noted profile on the palate, with a hint of dusty earth and a long, clean finish. It's a beautiful and freshly styled Riserva to enjoy over the coming 20 years. Bottled in June of 2023, 9000 bottles were produced. |
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Tuscany | 5 | 100 (WA) | $1,685.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)This is a benchmark vintage, offering special appeal thanks to its profound sharpness and precision. The Tenuta San Guido 2021 Bolgheri Sassicaia remains fixed and immobile, like a time capsule of the vintage itself. One member of the winery team with whom I tasted used the word “granitic,” referring to its frozen, statue-like posture, a description I found especially fitting for the wine’s character. Whereas the 2016 vintage shows iron-like minerality, the 2021 reveals brilliant limestone clarity followed by dark currant, dried mint and blood orange. Cabernet Franc is reduced to 12% in this blend alongside Cabernet Sauvignon. The mouthfeel is complete and profound, defined by freshness and firm texture, and even when revisited nearly an hour later, this stone statue of a wine did not budge. This is a bottle clearly built for long cellar aging. |
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Tuscany | 45 | 96 (DC) | $204.00 | |||||
Decanter (96)Super-fresh with balsamic herb, blueberry and floral aromatics, Guidalberto 2023 has blossomed into a grand vin all of its own. Invigorating cool forest berry flavours mingle with touches of spice and fine, silky tannins. So poised. Wow! |
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Tuscany | 99 | 93 (JD) | $130.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (93)The 2023 Le Difese includes Sangiovese from Montosoli and Rufina in Chianti Classico in the blend. The nose is fresh and pure, with a juicy, floral perfume of fresh red berries, violets, and wet stone. It’s fresh and inviting on the palate, with the very pretty elegance that the Sangiovese brings with its more defined structure and refreshing feel. This is a fabulous entry wine to drink over the coming 8-10 years. |
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Piedmont | 8 | 97 (JS) | $386.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)Dark aromas of graphite, potpourri, smoke, bergamot and dried cherries. Firm tannins on the palate, with a full body, a dusty texture, refreshing acidity and a powerful finish. Extracted, meaty, concentrated and balanced for the long haul, with an amazing minty aftertaste. Try from 2027. |
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Piedmont | 8 | 94 (JD) | $354.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (94)Moving to the 2021 Barolo Bussia, it pours a bright transparent red color and offers a pure aromatic profile with notes of cherry candies, preserved orange, amaro-like sweet herbs, and dried earth. The palate is also vibrant and transparent, with a bit more savory iron-richness lurking gently underneath on the finish, framing the otherwise more transparent ripe berried fruit that coaxes through the palate. It has ripe tannins and a bit more richness of texture on the finish that I anticipate will improve over the coming 10-15 years. Drink 2026-2038. |
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Piedmont | 4 | 93 (JD) | $386.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (93)Pouring a bright red color, the 2021 Barolo Castellero is fresh and lifted on the nose with pure notes of sweet cedar, raspberries, crushed flowers, and fresh tobacco. The palate is refreshing and approachable while also retaining a well-defined structure, with a medium-bodied frame. It has pure, ripe fruit notes, with well-defined tannins, even acidity, and an appealing spiced note on the finish. It will benefit from another 6-12 months to come together. Drink it over the next 12-15 years. |
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